Boyes Hot Springs boasts mineral baths and a vibrant commercial area
During the early 1900s, Boyes Hot Springs’ mineral-rich pools established it as a tourist destination in the Sonoma Valley, about 60 miles north of San Francisco. “It was a weekend getaway for people in San Francisco wanting to get out of the fog and experience the healing powers of the mineral baths,” says Realtor Daniel Casabonne with Sotheby’s International Realty, who has 30 years of experience. “It became more desirable over the years, with higher quality restaurants popping up, and it developed a more artistic, bohemian feel.” This vibrance is reflected in the colorful commercial corridor at the community’s center. Today, residential streets fan out from the shopping and dining district into the hills, where wineries and natural recreation are abundant.
Cottages, ranch-style homes and multimillion-dollar custom builds
Many one-story cottages were built from the 1920s through the 1940s, and their prices range from about $530,000 to $880,000. Some were remodeled and include one-car garages. Ranch-style homes, constructed from the 1950s through the early 1990s, have prices ranging from roughly $600,000 to $2.1 million, depending on house and property size. Many properties with custom homes, some modern and farmhouse-inspired, span a half-acre to just over 2 acres. Depending on their square footage and corresponding acreage, custom homes go from about $1.2 million to nearly $3.6 million. Condos and townhouses are common and share a similar price range of approximately $490,000 to $860,000.
Playing sports, natural recreation and environmental risks
The hot springs that established Boyes Hot Springs as a destination are 1,000 feet below the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. Guests can access them for a fee. Larson Park features the Sonoma Springs Community Garden, a playground and four tennis courts. Nearly a mile-long segment of the Sonoma Valley Regional Trail’s paved path branches into the park. Ernie Smith Community Park has a basketball court, playground and a dog park. Sonoma Golf Club’s private facility includes a golf course, pool and tennis courts.
Maxwell Farms Regional Park’s 82 acres include a soccer field, volleyball court and a skatepark. Over 2 miles of shaded nature trails run through the park, some along Sonoma Creek. Areas near the creek have an elevated flood risk with heavy rainstorms that come through the valley. Montini Open Space Preserve is about 4 miles away and is home to the Sonoma Overlook Trail, which weaves for over 2 miles through oak woodland, passing rock outcroppings and open grassland. Areas near the preserve and in the western region of Boyes Hot Springs, where nature is abundant, have an elevated wildfire risk.
Sonoma Highway has grocers and restaurants
The area’s commercial corridor consists of a 2-mile stretch of Sonoma Highway. In 2015, an artist was hired to bring vibrance to this road of local businesses and restaurants. “They just wanted it to feel more alive and creative, not just a series of nondescript storefronts,” Casabonne says. “[The artist] redesigned [Plain Jane’s] consignment store to have three-dimensional pieces of furniture running along the roof line.” Restaurants include Olde Sonoma Public House, a pub with pinball, and Spread Kitchen, which serves Lebanese food with California influence. El Molino Central, a Mexican restaurant, has a walk-up ordering system and a patio decorated with colorful wooden picnic tables and string lights. Safeway, Lucky and La Morenita Market, which sells Latin American groceries and goods, are nearby.
Studies in Sonoma Valley Unified School District and school choice
Sonoma Valley Unified School District serves Boyes Hot Springs and includes four elementary schools. Residences in the western region are zoned for El Verano Elementary School, which earns a C-plus grade from Niche. Later, students may attend Altimira Middle School, a C-graded institution. Sonoma Valley High School earns a B and offers Advanced Placement (AP) courses in subjects such as history. Students may apply for intradistrict transfers and attend another school in the district, or if they are zoned for another district, they may apply for an interdistrict transfer.
Driving across Sonoma County and catching flights at nearby airports
California Highway 12, locally known as “Sonoma Highway,” connects the area to Santa Rosa, about 20 miles away. Sonoma County Transit serves the community with bus stops on Sonoma Highway. Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport — or “Sonoma County Airport” — is nearly a 30-mile drive and has 12 nonstop domestic flights, including some to cities with connecting international flights. The San Francisco International Airport, with over 130 direct flights to destinations worldwide, is within a 60-mile drive.
